Student Loans

Personally, I think student debt should be viewed as a last resort - a necessary evil if you will. Tuition costs are rising at record rates and scholarships, grants, and financial aid might not be enough to cover everything from room & board to books, computers or laptops, and transportation.

The student loan industry has been a topic of interest to the Congress in the recent session, and legislative changes as well as the sub-prime loan disaster are having an effect on the cost and availability of loans. I worked as an analyst briefly evaluating the business climate following the legislative changes, but the company I was with ultimately decided its business model had been made obsolete by law. So they shut down and sold the loans - and perhaps just in time, as last year student loan securities dropped to an all-time low. No analysis could show a profitable model without seriously raising rates on students - sometimes into the double-digits.

If there was ever a bad time to get loans, this is probably it. Unfortunately, its also the time they might be most needed. Investors want a premium on risky loans & bonds, and students are some of the riskiest involved. Many factors are contributing to the cost of education, but at the end of the day the fact remains that prices are going up rapidly.

Credit cards should also be avoided but they can also have their place. On the one hand, they can be used to cover unexpected expenses, to build up credit history, or if paid off immediately, used to get free stuff through rewards programs or frequent flight miles.

In this section, I'll give you plenty of reasons to stay away from student loans, and a little advice on how to find the right ones or if you qualify for various programs like Stafford, PLUS, etc...

Deflation in Wall Street finance hasn’t found its way to the college campus yet – and it probably won’t any time soon, for better or worse. Learn why student loans don’t deflate like other financed products such as cars and mortgages.

This week, Obama held a press conference to announce his intention toward reforming the public subsidy of student loans. Carrying on momentum begun in 2006 and in the midst of credit market disruptions, Obama’s plan would virtually eliminate the middle-man of private banking from the publicly backed part of the student loan market.

Sorry about the delay between posts, loyal readers! I am not immune to the weak economy and I’ve been working double-time on my more commercially driven websites. Colleges, students, and even student loan companies haven’t been quite able to escape the consequences of a lockup in global financial and credit markets. In fact, 180 students […]

As credit risks continue to compound, student loan companies have found yet another way to minimize risks. In some cases, individual students might suffer the consequences simply for attending the wrong school.

Forget the last post, the Federal Reserve has stepped in and settled the debate that was brewing between the White House & Congress. I referred to this in the last article – basically, the student loan companies need someone to buy some loans so they can have enough reserve cash to offer more loans in […]

“Credit Crunch” is one common way to describe America’s current economic situation. This basically means that the financial sector of our economy is struggling from a lack of funds from which they can offer credit to consumers, students, and businesses. The problem appears to be spiraling, as a lack of business credit is leading to […]

As more banks cut off the supply of loans due to insufficient reserves and defaulted sub-prime mortgage accounts, the price of student loans has been rising even though the official interest rates are down.